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STAAR Grade 8 Reading March 2017RELEASED
Copyright © 2017, Texas Education Agency. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of all or portions of this work is prohibited without
express written permission from the Texas Education Agency.
READING
Reading
Page 1
Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.
Then fill in the answer on your answer document.
Dark Water Rising is a story about 17-year-old Seth and his
family’s move to Galveston, Texas, in the summer of 1900. After a
devastating storm in Galveston, Papa leaves the family to help
repair a railroad bridge. In the excerpt below, Papa returns home
from weeks of working on the bridge.
from Dark Water Rising
by Marian Hale
Copyright restrictions prevent the excerpt from Dark Water Rising
from being displayed in this format. Please refer to Dark Water
Rising by Marian Hale, accessible at your local library.
Reading
Page 2
Copyright restrictions prevent the excerpt from Dark Water Rising
from being displayed in this format. Please refer to Dark Water
Rising by Marian Hale, accessible at your local library.
Reading
Page 3
1 Which words from paragraph 9 help the reader understand the
meaning of instinctive?
A Text from paragraph 9 of Dark Water Rising appeared in this
answer option. Copyright restrictions prevent that text from being
displayed in this format.
B Text from paragraph 9 of Dark Water Rising appeared in this
answer option. Copyright restrictions prevent that text from being
displayed in this format.
C Text from paragraph 9 of Dark Water Rising appeared in this
answer option. Copyright restrictions prevent that text from being
displayed in this format.
D Text from paragraph 9 of Dark Water Rising appeared in this
answer option. Copyright restrictions prevent that text from being
displayed in this format.
2 The description of the father’s return in paragraphs 1 through 4
is important to the excerpt
because it —
F reveals the role each family member has in the household
G demonstrates that the family has been unable to manage without
him
H shows how reassured the family feels by his presence
J explains why the family was upset that he had to work on the
bridge
3 Which sentence best illustrates the narrator’s conflict?
A Text from paragraph 8 of Dark Water Rising appeared in this
answer option. Copyright restrictions prevent that text from being
displayed in this format.
B Text from paragraph 10 of Dark Water Rising appeared in this
answer option. Copyright restrictions prevent that text from being
displayed in this format.
C Text from paragraph 5 of Dark Water Rising appeared in this
answer option. Copyright restrictions prevent that text from being
displayed in this format.
D Text from paragraph 6 of Dark Water Rising appeared in this
answer option. Copyright restrictions prevent that text from being
displayed in this format.
Reading
Page 4
4 Through the narrator’s experience, the author explores the idea
of —
F wanting to feel a close connection to a family member
G feeling pressure to serve as a role model for younger
siblings
H working hard to complete projects that seem overwhelming at
first
J understanding that there can be different approaches to solving a
problem
5 The narrator’s keen awareness of his father’s behavior leads him
to —
A think that his father already knows about his thoughts of
college
B recognize how his father has changed since returning home
C be concerned about his father checking over the repair work he
has done
D worry that his father is unable to work as efficiently as he used
to
6 The last two paragraphs of the excerpt convey that the narrator
is —
F having difficulty achieving his father’s expectations
G planning to prioritize his family’s needs over his own
H feeling uneasy about discussing his future with his father
J working hard to make sure his family is comfortable
Reading
Page 5
7 What is the best summary of paragraphs 5 through 9?
A The narrator and Josiah are reconstructing the roof of a
neighboring house. When the
narrator notices his father watching, he begins to question the
quality of his work. When
the narrator drops a board, he is glad to see that his father did
not witness the mistake.
B The narrator is working on reconstructing the roof of a
neighboring house with Josiah. He
notices that his father has come out to watch him work. The
narrator begins to wonder
about the work he is doing on the house.
C The narrator notices that his father is sleeping while he and
Josiah are reconstructing the
roof of a neighboring house. He sees his father watching them later
in the day, but his
father does not offer to help the boys. The narrator wonders if his
father will criticize his
work.
D The narrator notices that his father is watching him reconstruct
the roof of a house with
Josiah. The narrator becomes anxious and drops a board Josiah is
passing to him. The
board almost hits Josiah, who is not pleased with his brother’s
carelessness.
Reading
8 Read this sentence from paragraph 16.
Text from Dark Water Rising appeared in this text box. Copyright
restrictions prevent that text from being displayed in this
format.
What does the imagery in this sentence suggest about the
narrator?
F He knows that his father will support his decision if he has good
reasons.
G He believes that it is unlikely he will ever be able to escape
his father’s judgment.
H He wants his father to act the way he did before he left to work
on the bridge.
J He feels a new tension building between his father and him.
9 The historical context of this excerpt emphasizes the idea that
people in the early 1900s often
relied on —
Reading
Page 7
Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.
Then fill in the answer on your answer document.
Dog-Walk by Mary Balazs
edging a vacant field.
nettle.
5 From thousands of walks, she’s learned where plantain
are soft—
from certain crevices,
10 Leaving the house, she pulls hard on her leash—
her head into the wind, her nose and ears working.
At the pasture’s high fence
she thrusts head and neck past chains
linking the paired gates,
until hinges, closed locks, stop her, still straining,
here, in this narrow place,
her front quarters extending as far as they can go
20 toward those regions she yearns for:
fenceless acreage, the lots of desire
she is denied.
her walk shambling,
Reading
Page 8
10 Which words from the poem show that the speaker is unsympathetic
to the dog’s wish?
F linking the paired gates
G pasture’s high fence
H the lots of desire
J she is denied
11 In the first stanza, the poet uses the words “Over the years”
and “From thousands of walks”
to —
A show that the dog still finds the walk exciting
B suggest that each walk follows the same sequence of events
C illustrate what the dog enjoys about going on a walk
D describe the reasons why the pasture is off-limits
12 The imagery in line 11 helps the reader —
F visualize the dog’s enthusiasm at the beginning of the walk
G understand why the speaker keeps the dog out of the open
pasture
H focus on the parts of the walk that the dog finds most
appealing
J appreciate the close relationship between the dog and the
speaker
Reading
Page 9
13 In contrast to line 10, the last line of the poem shows that the
dog now feels —
A confident
B defeated
C relaxed
D lonely
14 In lines 20 through 22, the speaker observes that the dog wants
to —
F return to the comfort of her home
G explore new areas beyond the fence
H follow the familiar path around the field
J take breaks during the walk with the speaker
Reading
Page 10
Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.
Then fill in the answer on your answer document.
The Power of Young People to Change the World
by T. A. Barron
1 If I could give today’s young people three wishes, they would
be:
2 More hugs.
3 More time outside in nature.
4 More belief in their own power to change the world.
5 While most people understand the importance of the first two
wishes, the third
one leaves some folks scratching their heads, wondering why young
people’s
belief in their own power is so essential.
6 Let’s start with the notion that all of us—especially young
people—need heroes.
We need them to be our guides on the twisting, sometimes difficult
trail we call
life. To show us just how far we can go, to help us know just how
high we can
climb.
7 And we need heroes today more than ever. Our modern society is
terribly
confused about the difference between a hero and a celebrity. And
the
difference is crucial.
8 A celebrity is all about fame—temporary, superficial fame,
usually for qualities
that are easy to see: a pretty face, a good hook shot, a great
dance move. A
hero, by contrast, is about character—qualities beneath the surface
that aren’t
visible until they prompt action. Qualities like courage, hope,
compassion, and
perseverance.
9 Heroes, real heroes, are all around us. They truly hold our world
together,
through their unselfish devotion to helping others, supporting
families, teaching
children, protecting the environment. They don’t want fame, or
glory, or even
credit; they just want to help. In so many ways, these unsung
heroes steer the
boat in which all of us sail.
10 Yet . . . young people hear a lot more about celebrities than
about heroes, in
every form of media. Worse yet, young people are treated too often
as just
another target market by advertisers. The underlying message they
get from all
this is that their self-worth comes from what they buy—which drink,
which
shoes, which cell phone—not who they are down inside.
11 What gets lost in this? Young people’s sense of their own
potential for heroic
qualities—their own power to make a positive difference in the
world.
Reading
Page 11
12 Truth is, there is a potential hero, a future difference maker,
in every young
person. Each of them, from whatever background, is a bundle of
untapped
energy—a positive force who can do something to steer that communal
boat
that carries us all.
13 All it takes for that to be true . . . is belief. For if young
people believe in their
own power, they will use it. And they will discover that any
person—regardless
of gender, age, race, cultural background, or economic
circumstance—can make
a genuine, lasting impact.
14 How do we help skeptical young people believe in their own
power? The best
way by far is simply to share examples of other young people who
have made a
difference.
15 To turn the spotlight on such amazing young people—to share
their stories—I
founded a national award, the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.
Named
after my mom, who was a quiet hero in my own life, this award, now
in its
tenth year, honors 25 young people each year. They come from
every
background, and they are as diverse as the youth of America. The
one thing
they all have in common is a belief in their own power to make
a
difference—and the dedication to make it happen.
16 This prize is really just a small thing, but its winners are
shining examples of
what young people can achieve.
17 Here are a few of the winners from recent years:
18 Katie, age 10, has rallied hundreds of people in her town in
South Carolina to
help her create vegetable gardens to feed the hungry. How did she
begin? As a
third grader, she raised a tiny seedling into a huge 40-pound
cabbage. When she
saw how many people that cabbage fed at a local soup kitchen, she
decided that
she could do more. So far, she has donated more than 1,000 pounds
of fresh
produce to people in need.
19 Ryan, age 11, has worked tirelessly to raise money to provide
clean drinking
water to African villages. When he first heard about the plight of
African children
who died from impure water, Ryan was only six years old. He decided
to do
something about it. In the next five years, he raised over
$500,000—enough to
build over 70 water wells.
20 Barbara, age 17, grew up on a farm in Texas. When she realized
that local
farmers were pouring their used motor oil into rivers and on the
ground, causing
pollution, she organized the creation of a recycling center for
crude oil. Her
project, called “Don’t Be Crude,” has grown to include 18 recycling
centers in
Texas.
21 The list could go on and on. These are but a few examples of
young people who
have discovered that they can build on their own energy and ideals
to do
something truly great.
T. A. BARRON author of The Lost Years of Merlin and other books.
www.tabarron.com
Reading
15 The author wrote this selection most likely to —
A explain to the reader why more heroes are needed in the
world
B demonstrate why celebrity has become confused with heroism
C urge young people to believe in their ability to make a
difference
D suggest that adults need to be better role models for young
people
16 Read the origin of the word superficial.
from the Latin super- (“on top of”) and -facies (“face”)
Based on this information, what is the meaning of the word
superficial in paragraph 8?
F Not known
A providing definitions of the words celebrity and hero
B giving examples of celebrities and heroes
C discussing the differences between celebrities and heroes
D explaining the origins of the words celebrity and hero
Reading
Page 13
18 How does the author support his claim that every young person
has the potential to be a
hero?
F By defining the qualities that make a young person a hero
G By providing examples of qualities that have made people
famous
H By including examples of young people who exhibit the qualities
of a hero
J By contrasting society’s definition of a hero with the word’s
real meaning
19 Read this sentence about heroes from paragraph 9.
They truly hold our world together, through their unselfish
devotion to helping others, supporting families, teaching children,
protecting the environment.
The author includes this sentence most likely to emphasize that
—
A heroes affect many people
B everyone is a hero in some way
C heroes must believe in themselves
D most heroes focus on working with children
20 The author included the information in paragraphs 8 through 11
probably to —
F explain why becoming a hero is important
G show that heroes and celebrities are both valued
H demonstrate that society does not support the development of
heroes
J describe how society turns ordinary celebrities into real
heroes
Reading
Page 14
Read the next two selections. Then choose the best answer to each
question.
Breaking Out of the Box 1 Shipping containers are used to haul
cargo on ships, trains, and trucks. Because
these trips can be rough, the containers are used for only about
five to ten
years. Then they usually end up in a junkyard or landfill. However,
these
containers are durable, lightweight, and of relatively low cost, so
entrepreneurs
and artists are finding ways to repurpose them.
Shipping Containers on a Train
© iS
to ck
ph ot
o. co
m /s
ca nr
ai l
2 One trend that has gained popularity is creating houses from
retired shipping
containers. The containers already have the basic elements we think
of when we
imagine shelter: four walls, a ceiling, a floor, and a door. It is
truly amazing what
interior designers and architects can do to maximize the layout of
these
containers in order to add comfort to the cold metal interiors.
Some modular
designs include connecting several containers to increase the
amount of living
space. With features like solar panels and sliding glass walls, the
repurposed
homes are an environmentally smart practice.
3 Like building blocks, shipping containers can be safely stacked
to create
multilevel structures. By cutting out hallways and creatively
stacking the
containers, engineers are maximizing the use of the boxes. Offices
and even
hotels are being built from these recycled containers. Urban areas
and colleges
that struggle to provide affordable housing have also begun to
explore building
container housing and work spaces. In London a container “city” was
created in
2001 in just five months using more than 80 percent recycled
materials from
shipping containers. It was so successful that the following year,
the city of
London created another multipurpose structure that was five stories
high!
Reading
to cities. Shipping container accommodations are
available in rural areas as well. From hideaway
cabins to campground rentals, these versatile
accommodations can be found in the city and in
remote areas.
5 Sculpture artists from all over the world have also
found value in repurposing shipping containers.
Artists rework the shell of the containers by
reshaping the corrugated metal. Whether welding
the panels into new shapes or using them as metal
canvases, artists have found that the possibilities
are endless. The Container Art Project was
established by innovative artists to help museums
share artistic collections around the world. In
addition to using the retired containers to move art
pieces, the project has also used the interior of the
containers as the setting for the galleries
themselves. A Building Constructed from Shipping Containers
U rb
an S
pa ce
M an
ag em
en t
(C on
ta in
er C
D es
ig n:
A lla
rd R
oe te
ri nk
6 With all these options and new purposes, fewer shipping
containers will be
headed to the junkyard. They have been broken out of their
traditional boxes
and are having their utility extended with new forms and
function.
Reading
A Bountiful Billboard
1 Lima, the capital city of the South American country of Peru, is
located near the
Pacific Ocean in the Sechura Desert. This desert region is one of
the driest in the
world and receives almost no rainfall. Yet more than eight million
people live in
Lima. Because of the scarcity of water, one out of every 10
residents has no
access to running water. Some people depend on private companies to
deliver
water to their homes and businesses.
EW N
Lima
oliviaBolivia
Peru
ChileChile
ChileArgentina
Brazil
2 The engineers at the University of Engineering and Technology of
Peru (UTEC)
thought about how Lima’s extreme water shortage problem could be
solved.
They noticed that even though the rainfall in Lima was scant, the
humidity was
high. Due to the city’s coastal location, humidity can be higher
than 90 percent
on summer days. The engineers wondered whether they could harness
the
moisture in the air.
3 The staff at the university realized that this project, while
helping the residents
of Lima, could also showcase UTEC’s engineering program. Thus they
formed a
partnership with the advertising agency Mayo DraftFCB. The two
groups created
an advertisement to demonstrate the university’s engineering
projects. They
made a billboard that extracted moisture from the air and converted
it into
drinkable water. The water was then made available to the
public.
4 The engineers used the city’s power lines to provide electricity
to five
condensers that operate within the billboard. The condensers are
cooler than the
outside air. When air comes in contact with the condensers, it
cools. The water
vapor in the air condenses, becoming liquid water. The water then
flows through
pipes into a storage tank at the foot of the billboard. People can
access the
water through a faucet.
es
5 The billboard produces 96 liters (about 25 gallons) of water a
day. This can
supply hundreds of families with water each month. The partnership
of UTEC
and Mayo DraftFCB has not yet decided whether to build more
billboards, and if
so, where to locate them. But the citizens of Lima and other cities
in arid regions
around the world are hopeful.
6 Additionally, UTEC recorded a 28 percent increase in enrollment
since the
installation of the billboard. The problem-solving billboard has
inspired more
young people to pursue engineering careers. They want to be part of
productive,
ingenious solutions to unresolved problems.
A woman retrieves water from a faucet at the base of the
billboard.
© A
Page 18
Use “Breaking Out of the Box” (pp. 15–16) to answer questions
21–23. Then fill in the answers on your answer document.
21 The title of the selection highlights the idea that shipping
containers —
A are not as sturdy as people assume
B can function in ways that are not commonly considered
C are useful for creating large pieces of art
D should be deconstructed before they are used for projects
22 What is the main idea of paragraph 5?
F Artists must reshape the shell of the shipping container to make
sculptures.
G Storing and moving art pieces in shipping containers are simple
processes.
H Artists see the potential of incorporating shipping containers
into their art.
J Museums are using shipping containers as galleries to share their
collections.
23 Which sentence from the selection supports the idea that
creating structures from shipping
containers is cost-efficient?
A Shipping containers are used to haul cargo on ships, trains, and
trucks.
B One trend that has gained popularity is creating houses from
retired shipping containers.
C With all these options and new purposes, fewer shipping
containers will be headed to the junkyard.
D Urban areas and colleges that struggle to provide affordable
housing have also begun to explore building container housing and
work spaces.
Reading
Page 19
Use “A Bountiful Billboard” (pp. 17–18) to answer questions 24–27.
Then fill in the answers on your answer document.
24 Which words from paragraph 2 help the reader understand what
scant means?
F coastal location
H even though the rainfall
J problem could be solved
25 Which sentence from the selection explains why the water
produced by the billboard is
significant?
A Lima, the capital city of the South American country of Peru, is
located near the Pacific Ocean in the Sechura Desert.
B The water then flows through pipes into a storage tank at the
foot of the billboard.
C Because of the scarcity of water, one out of every 10 residents
has no access to running water.
D The water vapor in the air condenses, becoming liquid
water.
Reading
Page 20
26 The organizational pattern of the selection allows the author to
—
F explain how a problem became worse over time
G highlight the steps taken to address a specific need
H compare different companies’ approaches to solving a
problem
J describe how the lack of a necessary resource affects the local
people
27 The author wrote this selection most likely to —
A reveal that water scarcity is a major issue in Peru
B suggest that billboards are an effective way to advertise
products
C describe the process of turning moisture in the air into
drinkable water
D highlight a partnership that created an interesting solution to a
problem
Reading
Page 21
Use “Breaking Out of the Box” and “A Bountiful Billboard” to answer
questions 28–31. Then fill in the answers on your answer
document.
28 One difference between the selections “Breaking Out of the Box”
and “A Bountiful Billboard”
is that “A Bountiful Billboard” —
F focuses on a project specific to a location
G discusses the future potential of an idea
H compares various uses for the same material
J expresses concerns about a new idea
29 What is one important benefit of shipping container apartment
buildings and the billboard
in Lima?
B Both prevent landfills from overflowing.
C Both provide a resource to a community.
D Both are found in urban and rural areas.
Reading
30 Read this sentence from “Breaking Out of the Box.”
By cutting out hallways and creatively stacking the containers,
engineers are maximizing the use of the boxes.
Which sentence from “A Bountiful Billboard” is related to this
idea?
F This can supply hundreds of families with water each month.
G They made a billboard that extracted moisture from the air and
converted it into drinkable water.
H But the citizens of Lima and other cities in arid regions around
the world are hopeful.
J Additionally, UTEC recorded a 28 percent increase in enrollment
since the installation of the billboard.
31 Both selections explore ideas that involve —
A using technology to keep the environment clean
B collaborating to solve an urban problem
C redesigning an object to serve a new purpose
D recycling materials that are typically considered trash
Reading
Page 23
Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.
Then fill in the answer on your answer document.
The Photograph by N. Scott Momaday
1 When I first lived on the Navajo reservation there were no cars,
except those
that were government property or that belonged to the Indian
Service
employees. The Navajos went about in wagons and on horseback,
everywhere.
My father worked for the Roads Department on the Navajo
reservation. I lived
for those trips, for he would often take me with him. I got a sense
of the
country then; it was wild and unending. In rainy weather the roads
became
channels of running water, and sometimes a flash flood would simply
wash them
away altogether, and we would have to dig ourselves out of the mud
or wait for
the ground to freeze. And then the wagons would pass us by or, if
we were
lucky, some old man would unhitch his team and pull us out to firm
ground.
2 “Ya’at’eeh,” the old man would say.
3 “Ya’at’eeh, shicheii,” my father would reply.
4 “Hagosha’ diniya?”
5 “Nowhere,” my father would say, “we are going nowhere.”
6 “Aoo’, atiin ayoo hastlish.” Yes, the road is very muddy, the old
man would
answer, laughing, and we knew then that we were at his mercy, held
fast in the
groove of his humor and goodwill. My father learned to speak the
Navajo
language in connection with his work, and I learned something of
it, too—a
little. Later, after I had been away from the Navajo country for
many years, I
returned and studied the language formally in order to understand
not only the
meaning but the formation of it as well. It is a beautiful
language, intricate and
full of subtlety, and very difficult to learn.
7 There were sheep camps in the remote canyons and mountains. When
we
ventured out into those areas, we saw a lot of people, but they
were always off
by themselves, it seemed, living a life of their own, each one
having an
individual existence in that huge landscape. Later, when I was
learning to fly an
airplane, I saw the land as a hawk or an eagle sees it, immense and
wild and all
of a piece. Once I flew with a friend to the trading post at Low
Mountain where
we landed on a dirt road in the very middle of the reservation. It
was like going
backward in time, for Low Mountain has remained virtually
undiscovered in the
course of years, and there you can still see the old people coming
in their
wagons to get water and to trade. It is like Kayenta1 was in my
earliest time on
the reservation, so remote as to be almost legendary in the
mind.
8 My father had a little box camera with which he liked to take
photographs now
and then. One day an old Navajo crone came to our house and asked
to have
her picture taken. She was a gnarled old woman with gray hair and
fine
1Kayenta is a town within the Navajo reservation in Arizona.
Reading
Page 24
pronounced features. She made a wonderful subject, and I have
always thought
very well of the photograph that my father made of her. Every day
thereafter
she would come to the house and ask to see the print, and every day
my father
had to tell her that it had not yet come back in the mail. Having
photographs
processed was a slow business then in that part of the world. At
last the day
came when the print arrived. And when the old woman came, my
father
presented it to her proudly. But when she took a look at it, she
was deeply
disturbed, and she would have nothing to do with it. She set up
such a jabber,
indeed, that no one could understand her, and she left in a great
huff. I have
often wondered that she objected so to her likeness, for it was a
true likeness,
as far as I could tell. It is quite possible, I think, that she had
never seen her
likeness before, not even in a mirror, and that the photograph was
a far cry from
what she imagined herself to be. Or perhaps she saw, in a way that
we could
not, that the photograph misrepresented her in some crucial
respect, that in its
dim, mechanical eye it had failed to see into her real being.
“The Photograph” from The Man Made of Words by N. Scott Momaday,
copyright © 1997 by N. Scott Momaday. Used by
permission.
Reading
Page 25
32 Through his experiences at the Navajo reservation, the author
gained —
F respect from the elders
G acceptance into a small community
H an appreciation for another culture
J the ability to rely on nature for survival
33 Read this sentence from the selection.
It is like Kayenta was in my earliest time on the reservation, so
remote as to be almost legendary in the mind.
This comparison helps the reader understand that the author thinks
the location —
A seems to have a profound effect on the lives of the
residents
B has a mystical quality because of its isolation from
society
C has a tendency to be remembered more vividly than others
D is so beautiful it can exist only in the imagination
Reading
34 Read this sentence from the selection.
Or perhaps she saw, in a way that we could not, that the photograph
misrepresented her in some crucial respect, that in its dim,
mechanical eye it had failed to see into her real being.
Which of these is the author suggesting in this sentence?
F The woman saw herself as something more than could be captured in
a photograph.
G Something may have gone wrong when the photograph was
developed.
H Many people are dissatisfied with their appearance in
photographs.
J The woman will eventually decide that she likes the
photograph.
35 Which sentence best demonstrates that the author and his father
depended on the people of
the reservation?
A It is a beautiful language, intricate and full of subtlety, and
very difficult to learn.
B When we ventured out into those areas, we saw a lot of people,
but they were always off by themselves, it seemed, living a life of
their own, each one having an individual existence in that huge
landscape.
C She made a wonderful subject, and I have always thought very well
of the photograph that my father made of her.
D Yes, the road is very muddy, the old man would answer, laughing,
and we knew then that we were at his mercy, held fast in the groove
of his humor and goodwill.
Reading
36 The organization of the selection allows the author to —
F reflect upon several meaningful experiences from his time at the
reservation
G compare the landscape of the reservation with the landscape of
other places he has lived
H explain how his experiences as a child affected his way of life
as an adult
J describe how he solved personal problems in the past
37 Why does the author compare his experience to that of “a hawk or
an eagle” in paragraph 7?
A To emphasize that a person’s view of the landscape is
incomplete
B To demonstrate that he is confident in his abilities as a
pilot
C To reveal his desire to spend more time in nature
D To show that he feels more comfortable in the air than on the
ground
Reading
Page 28
Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.
Then fill in the answer on your answer document.
A Winning Culture 1 When basketball coach Kevin Cook accepted the
head coach position for
Gallaudet University’s women’s basketball team in 2007, he knew he
was facing
a huge challenge. The team had experienced several losing seasons
in a row,
culminating in a record of 3 wins and 23 losses the previous year.
Additionally,
the students at Gallaudet University were either deaf or hard of
hearing, which
made communication a major obstacle because Cook didn’t know a
single word
of sign language.
2 Gallaudet, founded in 1864 in Washington, D.C., is the world’s
leading university
in programs designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The
Gallaudet
University women’s basketball team, the Bison, started in 1896. It
hadn’t had a
championship-filled history, so it was Cook’s mission at Gallaudet
to change the
team’s record from a losing one to a winning one.
3 A main factor leading to the team’s consecutive losing seasons
was the way the
team communicated on the basketball court. Unable to communicate
through
spoken words, the women had to look at one another to “read” plays.
The
players typically used small facial movements, lipreading, or sign
language.
When they looked at one another to communicate a play, they took
their eyes
off the ball. Cook figured that the team lost an average of six
points a game as a
result.
4 The first two seasons of Cook’s coaching career with the Bison
were neither easy
nor immediately successful. The team’s record for the 2007–2008
season was 3
wins and 21 losses, followed by 6 wins and 19 losses in the
2008–2009 season.
Cook, who had coached professional teams, high-ranked college
teams, and
even the Nigerian national team, was discouraged, and the players
could tell.
Some of the players thought Cook was unable to connect with Deaf
culture. As
one star player recalls, “We were trying to get on the same page as
him, and he
was frustrated.”
5 Then Cook began to learn sign language, and he used an
interpreter on the
sidelines to convey messages to players on the court. He soon
realized that
what he had thought was an obvious disadvantage—players lipreading
on the
court—had the possibility to be a strength as well. Though players
looking away
from the game in order to communicate would continue to cost the
team some
points, it would also give the players a competitive advantage.
Teams with
nondeaf players depended on hearing one another on noisy courts in
loud
arenas. The Bison, on the other hand, had only to briefly glance at
one another
to know the next play. The other team’s players would also not be
able to
overhear the upcoming plays, often communicated through signlike
gestures
and mouth movements. And when the opposing team’s coach called a
play,
sometimes Cook could communicate that message to his team. In
contrast, few
opposing coaches understood sign language and were therefore not
privy to the
Bison playbook.
Page 29
6 The team’s efforts began to show positive results. In the
2009–2010 season, the
Bison finally achieved a winning season of 14 wins and 12 losses,
the team’s
best record in 10 years. Although it was an impressive turnaround,
Cook knew
the team could play better.
7 At the beginning of the next season, Cook wanted the Bison to be
more
enthusiastic about practice and playing well, but some players
still felt that Cook
did not understand the Deaf world. Cook was very upset about this
perception.
He told the team they were confusing Deaf culture with a culture of
losing. He
said they needed to build “a winning culture.”
8 To that end Cook scheduled a scrimmage, a game that would not
count toward
the team’s record, between the Bison and a highly ranked team.
Although
Gallaudet lost the scrimmage by 53 points, the players noticed that
they played
well and were able to focus on the positive aspects of the game.
"We always
remember how we played that day, and it’s lifted our level of play
in general,”
star center Nukeitra Hayes commented through an interpreter.
9 After that the Bison won their next 20 games. They finished the
regular season
with only two losses. They were identified as one of the top teams
in the North
Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC). The team was invited to play in
the
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament, a
widely watched
and publicized event, but they were eliminated in the first round.
They finished
with an impressive record of 24 wins and 4 losses for the year. One
star player
stated it succinctly: “Everything came together this year.”
Coach Cook (right) gives instructions to the Gallaudet women’s
basketball team with the help of a sign language interpreter.
© 2
01 3
N PR
10 Cook was named the NEAC Coach of the Year. For him, however,
earning honors
was a secondary reward. He said that the biggest lesson he had
learned was to
be grateful, and he also noted that he learned patience—both on and
off the
court.
Reading
Page 30
38 The author suggests that Cook had frustrating moments while
coaching at Gallaudet largely
because he —
F believed that his players lacked the skills necessary for
success
G knew he was not communicating well with his team
H thought the university expected too much of its team
J knew that his team could not overcome their disadvantage
39 In paragraph 5, the phrase privy to means —
A knowledgeable of
B amused by
C happy with
D worried about
40 Which of these best describes why some of the Gallaudet players
lacked confidence in Cook
when he first became coach of the team?
F They thought the standards he set for the team were too
high.
G He had previously been the coach of a professional team.
H They thought he could not understand what the world was like for
the deaf.
J He thought that winning games was more important than the players
did.
Reading
Page 31
41 The author presents the events that led to the team’s winning
record in chronological order to
emphasize that —
A the university was very supportive of the women’s basketball
team
B deaf basketball teams have an advantage over hearing basketball
teams
C the university gained recognition because of the team’s
improvement
D changing the team’s perspective on winning did not happen
quickly
42 The title of the selection emphasizes the idea that Cook —
F wanted his team to focus on playing to their greatest
potential
G knew that his team would learn more from winning than from
losing
H thought that coaching the team would help him understand Deaf
culture
J believed that his players could play better if they practiced
more
Reading
43 What is the best summary of the selection?
A One of the reasons Gallaudet University had suffered many losing
seasons was that the
players were unable to communicate with spoken words. When Kevin
Cook took over the
team, he brought a history of successful coaching of professional,
college, and foreign
basketball teams. He worked hard to understand his players.
B Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., was founded in 1864.
All the students there are
either deaf or hard of hearing. Players on the women’s basketball
team communicated
using facial movements, lipreading, or sign language. Their coach
Kevin Cook noticed that
this caused them to take their eyes off the ball and lose
games.
C When Kevin Cook took over the head coaching job at Gallaudet
University, he experienced
many challenges. The team of hearing-impaired players had not been
playing well for
many years. Cook worked to understand the players and eventually
built a successful
team.
D Kevin Cook became the coach of the women’s basketball team at
Gallaudet University. He
organized an important scrimmage against a highly ranked team, and
it had a big effect
on his players. Although the team lost the scrimmage, it was
invited to play in an NCAA
tournament.
44 Which sentence suggests that Cook benefited from his experience
as a coach?
F He said that the biggest lesson he had learned was to be
grateful, and he also noted that he learned patience—both on and
off the court.
G And when the opposing team’s coach called a play, sometimes Cook
could communicate that message to his team.
H It hadn’t had a championship-filled history, so it was Cook’s
mission at Gallaudet to change the team’s record from a losing one
to a winning one.
J Although it was an impressive turnaround, Cook knew the team
could play better.
BE SURE YOU HAVE RECORDED ALL OF YOUR ANSWERS Reading
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STAAR GRADE 8 Reading
GRADE 8. Reading. Administered March 2017. RELEASED.
Dark Water Rising
Breaking Out of the Box
A Bountiful Billboard.